Ellis Named 2024 WPIAL Community Champion
When there’s a need in the community, Ellis girls step up.
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) and Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank announced the final donation numbers of the fourth annual WPIAL & Pittsburgh City League Food & Fund Drive in January, and The Ellis School was named one of the 2024 WPIAL Community Champions. Ellis students from Lower, Middle and Upper School raised a total of 6,254 meals between monetary donations and food items collected, which was the highest total among all the schools in the Class 1A division.
“I am incredibly grateful and thrilled that our students came together for such a meaningful cause during the 2024 WPIAL Annual Food Drive,” said Ellis’ Director of Athletics Reneé Brown-Antonelli. “It’s easy to fall into the mindset of focusing solely on our own wants and needs, but this effort reminded us of the importance of supporting others.”
Dr. Brown-Antonelli collaborated with Division Heads to involve Ellis students in all three Divisions. They created a friendly competition focused on understanding the importance of the Annual WPIAL Food Drive to see which group could raise the most donations. Lower School came in first, with 119 donations.
“Thanks to the generosity of everyone involved, we were able to raise a total of 6,254 meals through both monetary donations and food items. I’m deeply thankful to all those who contributed,” she said. “Regardless of the amount donated, the kids, parents, and community are already champions in my eyes.”
A total of 82,389 meals were raised for Western Pennsylvania communities through this initiative. Six schools earned Community Champion accolades after raising the most meals in their respective classifications, with two winners capturing the honors for the first time since the Food & Fund Drive was started. The 2024 Community Champions are Armstrong (Class 6A), Central Catholic (Class 5A), The Ellis School (Class 1A), Seton LaSalle (Class 3A), Southmoreland (Class 4A), and Winchester Thurston (Class 2A).
Back
“I am incredibly grateful and thrilled that our students came together for such a meaningful cause during the 2024 WPIAL Annual Food Drive,” said Ellis’ Director of Athletics Reneé Brown-Antonelli. “It’s easy to fall into the mindset of focusing solely on our own wants and needs, but this effort reminded us of the importance of supporting others.”
Dr. Brown-Antonelli collaborated with Division Heads to involve Ellis students in all three Divisions. They created a friendly competition focused on understanding the importance of the Annual WPIAL Food Drive to see which group could raise the most donations. Lower School came in first, with 119 donations.
“Thanks to the generosity of everyone involved, we were able to raise a total of 6,254 meals through both monetary donations and food items. I’m deeply thankful to all those who contributed,” she said. “Regardless of the amount donated, the kids, parents, and community are already champions in my eyes.”
A total of 82,389 meals were raised for Western Pennsylvania communities through this initiative. Six schools earned Community Champion accolades after raising the most meals in their respective classifications, with two winners capturing the honors for the first time since the Food & Fund Drive was started. The 2024 Community Champions are Armstrong (Class 6A), Central Catholic (Class 5A), The Ellis School (Class 1A), Seton LaSalle (Class 3A), Southmoreland (Class 4A), and Winchester Thurston (Class 2A).
The top 10 schools in meals raised were Central Catholic (15,846), Armstrong (8,929), Southmoreland (8,223), Seneca Valley (7,673), Knoch (7,141), The Ellis School (6,254), Winchester Thurston (4,674), Bethel Park (4,178), Seton LaSalle (2,670), and Calvary Chapel Christian (2,489). The four other schools to raise over 1,000 meals were Freeport (2,089), West Greene (1,979), McGuffey (1,502), and Mohawk (1,227).
Since 2021, the WPIAL and Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank partnered to hold an annual food drive with all its and Pittsburgh City League (PIAA District VIII) schools. Schools are divided into six divisions by enrollment, and the schools tabulating the most “meals” (total between money donated and food collected) in each of those divisions are named Community Champions. In the four years of the Food & Fund Drive, WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League schools have raised a total of 329,553 meals for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
Winning schools will be recognized with a Community Champion banner for their achievement either at this year’s WPIAL Basketball Championships, or by having a Food Bank staff member present their banner at their school.
About the WPIAL
Founded in 1906, the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) represents Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) District VII, which is one of the 12 districts governed by the Constitution and By-Laws of the PIAA. The WPIAL represents its member schools by promoting academics, the safety of participants, sportsmanship, citizenship, and lifelong values as the foundation of interscholastic athletics. The league holds championships for 27 different sports, and its member schools are made up of 10 state counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland.
About the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (Food Bank) is a nonprofit organization that distributes food for more than 42 million meals annually across 11 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania through a network of more than 1,000 agencies, partners, and programs.
Envision Her at Ellis
If you're interested in exploring Ellis for your daughter, let's connect! Request information about enrollment, attend one of our upcoming events, or hear about Ellis from those who know it best: our students.
